For once, Don’t read it out...

As another Republic Day silently passes by amidst perpetual fear of another terror attack, it’s time to retrospect and ask a few uncomfortable questions. It’s a known fact that if there’s one country which is responsible for most of the predicaments that the world is facing today, be it economic recession, unprecedented ascension of terrorism, perennial unhappiness in a rat race from which there is no respite, it’s none other than US. And yet ironically if there’s one country which can take the responsibility of bringing the whole world out of all the predicaments, if there’s one country the world is looking up to for signs of hope amidst despair, it’s again that very same US. But why is it like that? Why is it that when the US President gives his inaugural speech after his oath taking ceremony, the whole world listens with bated breath? And why is it that while most of the educated Indians who would otherwise have little interest in politics, are crazy about the prodigy called Barack Obama and make sure to hear his speeches time and again in the YouTube while the address of the Indian President Pratibha Patil to the nation a day before the Republic Day just comes and passes by and no one cares two hoots to hear it, forget about getting inspired by it? Well, even if there is no straightjacket answer to it, one thing that can be claimed with impunity is that in spite of the all the protocols at place, the President of US is not driven by protocols. ....Continue

In black and white

With near thunderbolt pace, American President Barack Obama has transformed the line of US foreign policy less than a week after taking oath to the office by making apparent that the US’s aspirations and objectives will be in accordance with American ideals and the rule of law. Saying “we have no time to lose”, Obama summarised in a curt reply how pressing he deems it is to bolster American international relations and to graph a new line in foreign relations.

In the first two full days, the new government has set swiftness for taking action that was unheard and unseen in Bush’s administration. Giving orders from the White House and State Department headquarters alternatively, Obama pronounced the shutting down of the Guantanamo Bay confinement centre in Cuba, discontinuation of ruthless grilling manners by intelligence officers, halting of armed forces courts for alleged terrorists at Guantanamo for at least four months, ending of covert prisons upheld by the intelligence community overseas, and the selection of two extraordinary diplomatic envoys to deal with sensitive issues of Arab-Israeli amity and Afghanistan and Pakistan.....Continue

The finest in its size - Sri Lanka

After leaving many stones unturned, I had to move to my next stop, Hikkaduwa. It was the first area to be developed for tourism and is still one of the most popular beach resorts. The exotic coral reef running parallel to the shore and sub-tropical fish can be explored with scuba equipment and licensed instructors. Little further down the coast is the dwelling place for a wave of international surfers who often greet you while surfing with schools of dolphins and occasional whales.

The next day, my excitement levels were hitting the ceiling, as I had to go for Ballooning. Though it was my last day but I was convinced that it’ll certainly not be the least in terms of fun I was having in Ceylon.

Adventure Centre Asia is the leading balloon operator in the island and offers the most spectacular aerial view of the cultural sites like Polonnaruwa, Sirigiriya, Dambulla and Yala wildlife national park. This exhilarating experience allows one to witness the wildlife in their natural habitat without violating their privacy, fly over placid lakes and get a bird’s eye view of historical ruins without tampering with the landscape. They call this “soft tourism”.

As we began our descent, my heart felt heavy, my stay in the land of many names (Ceylon, Lanka, Tapobrane or Serendib) was better than I could imagine but now over. As I boarded my return flight, the charming airhostess asked, “So how was your stay?” staring through her and reminiscing, I replied, “just serendipitous!.”....Continue

All out of luck!

A gazillion self help books will tell you in several different ways how we get exactly what we visualise for ourselves. Going in exactly the same direction is “Bad Luck Govind”, where a pessimist Govind (played by one-time VJ Gaurav Kapoor) is convinced that he brings bad luck to everyone around him – be it cows, cars or chawl goons. So while he tries to flee his bad fortune by moving from Delhi to Mumbai, it only gets worse once he gets mixed up with the local thugs, who begin to exploit his ‘bad luck effect’ to ruin things for their rival gang.

While the concept could have been shaped up into a laugh riot, Gaurav’s really realistic portrayal of a loser is quite a dampener! The heroine, Hrishitaa Bhatt, is hardly noticeable. The couple Archana Puran Singh (in a cameo) and Parmeet Sethi keep this film afloat, while the few laughs in this film are largely thanks to Zakir Hussain, who plays a thug transforming into a woman due to the rival gang exchanging his body building supplements with hormone changing pills!....Continue